Talking Drum Entertainment goes into film production

TALKING Drum, a distribution and entertainment company noted for successful distribution of movies like Last Flight to Abuja, Anchor Baby, Flower Girl, Hoodrush, Confusion na wa, Tango With Me in the UK is set to develop and produce its first lineup of feature films alongside a number of exciting new filmmakers.

According to Moses Babatope, CEO, Talking Drum, the first film is Immoral Dilemma, a romantic drama, scheduled for release in 2015. Others are Find Your Voice, a comedy; Who Owns the Law, a thriller and Model Affair, another romantic drama.

Babatope, who stated that all the films are at various stages of development, said the company would engage the service of a sales agent who has a track record in selling black films to a global audience for additional support in sales, marketing and publicity.

“We have always lived by the mantra: Content is King in this business; and over the years, the black film segment has become one of the fastest-growing sectors of the film industry. It has, however, suffered from lack of top quality contents necessary to satisfy our global audience and explore the commercial opportunities available. So, we are set to rectify that imbalance,” he added.

Dapo Oshiyemi, the lead producer, added: “It’s great to have films like 12 Years a Slave ($188m), The Butler ($177m) and Think like a Man ($96m) come through, but they all seem to be coming from one source and that’s the USA. But the black experience is not just about African Americans; so, it’s vital that Africa and the UK start to contribute to making films of this quality, considering the fact that there are so many exciting stories from these countries dying to be told.”